Butler Toronadoes

Class A First Round Results Radnor 11 Cheltenham 1 Highlights: Nick Ryder with 4 goals & Chris Brennan with the hat trick as Raiders open defense of Class A crown Springfield 10 Central York 0 Highlights: Mike Kelly with the hat trick & Kevin Brawley with a pair as Cougars outshoot Central York 31-8 Lower Dauphin 7 Cedar Cliff 1 Highlights: Stu Foultz picks up 4 pts [2G-2A]& Dave Garrabrant nets a pair as Lower Dauphin outshoots Cedar Cliff 50-31 Hatsboro Horsham 8 Harry S. Truman 4 Highlights: Alex Cohen & Brian Williams each with hat tricks for the Hatters Methacton 5 Rancocas Valley 2 Highlights: Rancocas Valley races to 2-0 lead, bur Methacton scores 5 unanswered goals as Matt Rist leads the charge with a pair for the Warriors Marple Newtown 4 Kennett 2 Highlights: Mike Stacey with a Goal & 2 Assists for MN as Phil Duca makes 24 saves for the victory Central Dauphin 6 Freedom 0 Highlights: Nick Chiavetta & Nick Evanoff score two goals each as Central Dauphin shuts out Freedom Lower Merion 3 Clearview [NJ] 2 Highlights: Clearview watches 2-0 lead evaporate as Mike Lundy s scores two goals including game winner & picks up an assist in the 2nd period as the Aces move on Class AA First Round Results Abington 5 Bishop Shanahan 0 Highlights: Erik Tufman with 5 points [2G-3A] & Justin Schorr with a pair as Ghosts shut down Shanahan. Kyle Santee stops 16 shots for the shutout Archbishop Carroll 12 Upper Darby 1 Highlights: Shane Aldinger opens the scoring in a 5 point night as Greg Manz & Josh Friedland score two goals for the Patriots Haverford High 3 Pennsbury 0 Highlights: Chris Tasopoulos with two goals for Haverford & Nick Wood with 19 saves for the shutout Archbishop Wood 9 St Joseph's Prep 0 Highlights: Anthony Fittipaldi & Tim D'Orazio with a pair each as Wood outshoots Hawks 42-13. Joe Schuck with the shutout for the Vikings Neshaminy 4 Council Rock North 3 Highlights: The winning goal was scored by Andrew Ducko on his first game back out with a broken leg in overtime at 7:22 Central Bucks West 3 Washington Twp [NJ] 2 Highlights: Buck's Nick Saviano's 2nd period goal with 6:01 to play turns out to be game winner as CB West has 31-16 shot advantage Bishop McDevitt 7 Parkland 1 Highlights: Jon Reidinger with 21 saves for the Crusaders & Erik Hjelm scores two goals as McDevitt advances West Chester Henderson 5 Cherokee [NJ] 2 Highlights: John Travers with 2 goals as Warriors score five unanswered in the 2nd period to advance Class AAA First Round Results Holy Ghost Prep 6 Monsignor Bonner 2 Highlights: Josh Steacker with 2 goals & Kristian Villante with 3 assists as Firebirds open up with victory in Class AAA West Chester East 4 Father Judge 0 Highlights: Paul Marshall stops 18 shots for the shutout & Brian Gaffney sets up two goals as East moves on to face Germantown Downingtown 3 Hershey 2 Highlights: Whippets get 32 save performance from Chris Dalvano as Downingtown scores 3 power play goals in the 2nd period, two by Ian Windle to hold off Hershey rally. Trojans storm in the 3rd period with 19 shots on Dalvano. Eastern Regional 7 Archbishop Ryan 3 Highlights: Eastern Regional overcomes an early 2-0 Ryan lead to score 5 goals in the 2nd period and set up game with Malvern

INDIANA - Game Summary Courtesy of Indiana Hockey Club # 6 Wednesday, 3/17/04 PIHL AA Conference Quarter-Finals Record: 16-4-1 The Indiana High School Varsity Ice Hockey team defeated Pine-Richland Wednesday in the Quarter-Final playoffs 2-1. The Indians scored in the first with 4:06 on the clock off the puck of Zach Diamond, assisted by Mike Nesper and Mike Hart with a power play goal. Pine-Richland came back in the second period with 3:45 remaining on a goal by Ryan Tessmer, assisted by Tom DiDonato. Indiana came back in the third with 7:02 left to play on a goal by Cory Mills, assisted by Zach Diamond, and Mike Appolonia. The Indians outshot the Rams 26-25, with Goalie Mike Mentch recording the win. Indiana advances to the semi-finals at Mellon Arena next Tuesday, March 23 against Thomas Jefferson in their quest for the Penguin Cup Championship.

ROSTARVER – Dave Stepanian finally has his full team together and when Serra defeated Blackhawk 5-0 in February, the Cougars were without Jake Polas and Erik Stedman, who were out with injuries. Blackhawk plays a very patient puck control game and it is very important to have two of your top guns in the lineup for a little BANG ! BANG ! While Blackhawk has had an outstanding season and opening playoff game against Deer Lakes, the Cougars are a work in progress as far as playoff experience goes, which could be a huge factor in facing the perennial playoff studs from Serra, who have pulled out their share of games in which they were outplayed but still came out on top. And if Blackhawk doesn’t believe me just ask Bishop McCort or Radnor or Springfield, who lost to Serra or Westmont who defeated them in last years Penguins Cup. Serra Catholic has been on an unfamiliar roll as off late, which led to two final game season losses to Sewickley Academy 4-3 and Wheeling Park 4-2. With John Mooney not coaching and Eddie Figas on the sidelines, the coaching reins where left to Tom Mooney. The Eagles could have very well packed it in against Blackhawk, but people who have been around Interscholastic Hockey know that the 3-time Pennsylvania Class A champions ‘never say die’ and have only a playoff loss to Westmont in last years Penguin Cup final over the past five years. Timmy Johnson has been the best goaltender in the state in the playoffs over the past four years and dreams of another matchup with his friends from Bishop McCort, which is exactly what will happen if the favorites advance in round two of the 2004 Penguins Cup playoffs. The opening minutes of this playoff game at the Rostraver Ice Garden was fast paced with good flow and featured two of the best goaltenders in Western Pennsylvania. Both teams had an opportunity on the power play in the opening 10 minutes, but it was Serra who capitalized as Joey Manning blasted a slapshot from the right point high over the glove hand of John Fitzgerald at 6:05 for a 1-0 Eagle lead. A poor show of discipline put the Cougars in the box at 4:08 of the opening period and Serra made Blackhawk pay as Josh Jones took a nice cross-ice pass from Justin Lubasch and buried it high upstairs past Fitzgerald at 3:30 and Serra was having it all their way 2-0 and 12-8 in shots. On to the second and Blackhawk went on the power play at 10:18 on a very controversial interference call at 10:08. The Cougars picked up their game to an unreal level pounding Timmy Johnson and the Serra defense with 22 shots in the 2nd period. Johnson made at least a half dozen incredible saves including on Travis Stoll, who was in all alone at 10:05, Jake Polas, three times, on a great glove save at 9:56 and again on a rebound ticketed for the upper corner at 9:56 and finally on another rebound at 9:49. It looked like Blackhawk was never gonna score at this point and Johnson was on fire. At 8:47 Sam Kristan held the puck for seemed like eternity at the left point and patiently waited for his players to get open in front, the Cougar defensemen unleashed a wicked snapshot which Johnson saved but could not control the rebound and Matt Stepanian pounced on the rebound and beat Johnson to put Blackhawk on the board with 8:47 remaining in the period. The Cougars were on a roll and pressing to tie the game, but Johnson came out of nowhere to make a brilliant sliding save on Stepanian, who took a great feed from Eric Stedman at 5:03 and another great save just getting his leg on the snake bitten Jake Polas’ shot at 2:09. Eric Stedman would not be denied as the quick Cougar forward scored on a wraparound at 1:44 to tie the game at two apiece. Blackhawk had finally tied the game and had expended so much energy trying to beat Johnson, you just knew Serra would have their chances and it almost happened with just 50 seconds remaining, but John Fitzgerald made a terrific leg save on Ray Gillis and the teams went to the locker room tied at 2-2. Rather than attacking both teams went into a lull early in the third period and played very conservatively. This would bode well for Serra Catholic, who had a short bench and not very much momentum, but has the playoff experience to know it only takes one break or one shot or a bad penalty to win a close hockey game, putting them in the drivers seat against a Blackhawk team, who last played a game of significance in the Penguins Cup playoffs back in 1996 against West Allegheny in the Penguins Cup playoffs. Serra Catholic would deliver the big blow from Philip Ivkovich, who found himself alone in front with John Fitzgerald on his wallet and all day to shoot it. The Serra forward watched as the Blackhawk goaltender squirmed to try to recover and buried a wrist shot just inside the post for a huge goal at 8:21 of the final period and a 3-2 lead. Blackhawk had to be demoralized at this point, but was given an opportunity on the power plat at 8:04, but never got established in the Serra zone due to some great penalty killing from Ray Gillis, Joey Manning and Ryan Noone. All Serra had to do was show some discipline and get the puck deep into the Cougar zone and this is a trademark of what John Mooney [along Tom Mooney and Eddie Figas] have tried to establish in a very disciplined program when the cads are on the table in playoff games and unfortunately John Mooney was unable to relay and the reason he left the program. Well, its funny that with 2:15 remaining Serra would take a very undisciplined penalty with a slash from a veteran player and put the game in the balance and Blackhawk on the power play with 2:15 remaining. The Cougars had new life and were able to get set up in the Eagle zone and it would all come down to Jake Polas, who had been robbed on several occasions in the 2nd period and Timmy Johnson, the goaltender who is ‘Al Davis on skates’ and says ‘just win baby’…. With 52 ticks left on the clock, Polas was alone in front and Johnson just absolutely robbed him and that’s how close it is in the playoffs because if Polas scores, I think Blackhawk may have won it in overtime. But those Eagles, they just keep finding the way and when Justin Lubasch scored into the empty net with 3 seconds left making it 4-2, it was a little reminder to the teams in Class A that the Penguins Cup still goes through Serra Catholic.

MT LEBANON – They were parking on Cedar Boulevard and on the sidewalks and all over the hillside for what was billed as ‘the game’. You see the Mt Lebanon Recreation Center is a mecca of sorts and when Bethel Park and Mt Lebanon lock horns, everything else gets thrown out the window because this is a great rivalry, which has stood the test of time for over 25 years. We all remember the 1997 game at Rostraver, when the Blue Devils held a 4-0 lead entering the third period and Bethel Park stormed back to win it with five unanswered tallies en route to their first ever Pennsylvania Class AAA crown. And in 2002, when Mt Lebanon rode a wave all the way to the Penguins Cup only to be dispatched by the Hawks, who were on their way to their third consecutive Pa State crown. The common denominator has been Jim McVay, who always has his Bethel Park teams prepared and especially for rival Mt Lebanon. Mt Lebanon Paul ‘Pat’ Taibi has not had a lot of sleep lately, because of this game to be honest. The # 1 seed, a great season for the Blue Devils and a possible dream of that elusive State Championship could all go away if Mt Lebanon could not beat Bethel. The last meeting of the two teams saw Bethel Park hold a 1-0 lead until late in the third period, but the Blue Devils rallied to win 3-1. This one would have a lot more meaning and significance if Mt Lebanon could beat Bethel Park before a fantastic standing room only crowd 2-3 deep around the glass and along the railing settled in at the Mt Lebanon Recreation Center. Oh how important the opening goal would be in this one and both teams knew it as the first period was fiercely contested and displayed tight checking and some clean but physical play. BP goalie Bryce Merriam made a nice stop on Tony Valerino at 11:15 and another on Chad Uddstrom after a nice feed from Eric Sloan at 8:20. Bethel went on the power play at 4:27, but the Blue Devils killed it with a nice penalty killing effort. The shots were 6-5 in favor of Mt Lebanon, but Bethel Park looked as if they were the aggressor at times in the opening period. Merriam continued to shine as he made an acrobatic save on Michael Jordan from just in front at 10:51. The Blue Devils went on the power play and this time they would capitalize as Billy Leckenby unleashed a wicked slapshot from the center point which Merriam juggled and dropped for a rebound, which Chad Uddstrom found and swept past the big Hawk keeper for a 1-0 Lebo lead at 9:25. The Blue Devils pressed for the second goal but Bethel Park staved off the Mt Lebanon surge and 10-4 second period shot advantage. Bethel Park was still very much in this hockey game entering the third period and Mt Lebanon was struggling with a few turnovers early on. Michael Diethorn intercepted a neutral ice pass and transitioned the play into the Blue Devil zone. On a tremendous individual effort, Diethorn somehow got a shot off on a 1 on 2 and the shot eluded Matt Vaughn and apparently hit the post to the right of Vaughn at 9:52. The Bethel Park fans thought it went in, but the referees ruled no goal, which was a huge turning point in this hockey game and an even bigger break for Mt Lebanon. The Blue Devils seized the opportunity as Eric Sloan took the puck from his own end and raced into the Bethel zone and around the net. Sloan showed great quickness and hands as he swooped around the Bethel net on a wraparound and beat Merriam to the post at 8:28 for a big insurance goal and a 2-0 Mt Lebanon lead. Bethel Park tried to rally but Matt Vaughn and the Blue Devils shut the door and when Chad Uddstrom found the empty net with just :49 seconds left, the Blue Devils would march one more step in the process with a 3-0 victory over BP.

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